Coupler-supporting mechanism



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iPatentecl Apr. 13, 1926.

3. 580,87*'1 PATENT oirsie E1.

CHARLES TOIVIDINSQN; OE MANSEIELD', OHIO; ASSIGNOR TO" THE. TOMLINSON courses COMPANY, or MANSFIELD, OHIO, aconroimrion'on01x10."

acumen-summertime MEGIIANISM? Originalapplication filed January17,-1924, Serial. No. 686.903: Dividedi and thisfapplieation filed.

February 14; 1925.

To all whom it mag concern Be it known that I, Crnmnns H. TOMLIN- son, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing athfiansfield, in the county of Richland and State of: Ohio, have in vented certain new and useful: Improvements in a Goupler-Supporting. Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

lily invention relates'to a supporting; device'for car couplers andshas torits'o-bjects a device which? will yield vertically when undue pressureis brought upon the supporting. device in a downward: direction, and another object of my invention is to permit the coupler toymove' laterally of the, caras is required when cars equipped with pivotallymounted couplers swing around a curve of short radius. Another object of my invention is to provide a' support for couplers which will havea centering action to maintain the couplers in a normally centralposition when the carsare uncoupled thereby placing. them in a 'position where they willcouple automatically upon impact without the necessity of an operator moving the couplers to a central position. A still further object ofmy invent-ion is to provide a supporting device which will permit a relative" rotation of the supporting device with respect to the coupler, asthis is ad visable in case of a train of cars hauling materials and which it is desired to dump the material by rotating the whole car.

This application is adivision of my copending application, Serial No. 686,903, filed January 17, 1924.

My invention resides in the new and novel construct-ion, combination and relation of the various parts herein described and disclosed in the drawing accompanying this specification.

In the drawings: 7

Fig. 1- is a front or face view inpartialsection of my supporting and centering mechanism and sectional view of the coupler draw-bar or tail-piece in normal relation thereto. I i

Fig. 2 is a front or face view in elevation of the mechanism shown in'Fig. 1. and also of the coupler draw-bar to show their relation when the. car to which themechanisinfis secured is in a rolled-over position.

Fig. 3" isa top view of. the" mechanism.

Serial N'o; 9,161;

shown in Figs. 1v and-2. without the coupler tail-piece.

Fig; l-is an'endview ot' Eig. 1.

Fig; 5. is a sectional view entire line 5 oflEig. 3..

In. the preferred embodiment of my in vention I employ a supporting yoke 1' to thc'ends, of; which are secured the spring hangersQ. The spring hangers comprise a barrel.shapedz member 3 and an. inwardly projectingfiange 4; at the lower end and having an. openingtherein" throughwhich passes; the; supportingfbolt 5 which is provided with an: enlarged head 6. at its upper end. Between thehead 6 and the flange 4: is interposed a spring. 7- which tends, to move-the bolt o-upwardl, The lower end ot thebolto is provided witha =.cross-.wise v or T shaped member. 8 provided with a transverse hole. to receive" a pin 9: by means of which the supporting yoke: and" the spring hanger are secured together.

The yoke. member. 1 comprises end casings- 10. having a. recess '11 through which passes thebolt 5. At. the inner side of the member: 10 is a projecting; stud 11 which receives the pipe or tubing Ellie member 12 issecuredt0 the member 11- by means of the-through bolt 13 and secured to the center. of the member 12 is-a collar 14 secured in place by meansof-thethrough bolt 15. Connecting the members 10, in addition to the pipe 12, are the spaced memhers-16 forming the outer :tacesof the yoke. The members 10- and 16 are held together by means; of the througl-i bolts 17 and the bolts 13' and 1 5. The side members 16 are provided with the outwardly projecting flange 18. upon which rest the laterally mov ablermembers 1 9. V

The members 1.) provided. with a down wandly projecting member provided with an. opening thrOUgh which passesthe tubular member 12' and is also provided. with a.

flanged. portion E21. resting; upon the flange -18v and: upon; which. thekmeinbers 19 slide laterally... Thelaterally movableor holding members; 19 are provided with the upright members 22. between which is positioned the coupler draw-baror t-ailspieice 23." The holding members 19 arenormally held central of the: mechanism by means; of; the v spring 24; in ern-need etween t e ho d ng. membe and the end member ll), which moves the holding members into cngagen'icnt with the central collar 14 or a position adjacent thereto. The holding members are so designed as to unite along a central line 55, or substantially so, but in order to prevent an opening between the members 19 when moved relatively away from each other, one or both of the members are provided with a projection which will provide a seat for the coupler tail-piece when the members 19 separate.

In order to permit the tail piece 23 to rotate relative to the supporting mechanism and also to provide cooperating means tending to hold the coupling mechanism and the supporting mechanism in a predetermined relation under normal operating conditions, I find it advisable to provide the tail-piece with a plurality of flat faces and to have a suiiicient number of fiat faces so that their width will not be so great as to prevent the roll-over action between the coupler and the supporting device. In the roll-over action it will be noted that it is necessary for the members 19 to move apart and this is brought about by the relative rotation of the member 23 with respect to the supporting device. It the tail-piece 23 is provided with only four sides I find that this is very liable to resist relative rotation more than is necessary and advisable, but I tind that it it is provided with six or eight :taces it is very satisfactory, in that, they present a sutficient width to cooperate with the members 19 to hold the coupler in normal position under regular operation, but not to resist the rotation of the parts to too great a degree in the roll-over operation.

The inner engagement between the member 20 and the tubular member 12 prevents the displacement of the member 19, but does not prevent its lateral movement.

The members 3 may be provided with the supporting bar 2-6 for securing the device to the nndenframing of the car or other means may be substituted for the member 26.

It will be apparent that when cars are equipped with my supporting mechanism and the couplers are secured to the car by means of: a ball and socket connection which will permit rotation of the coupler about its longitudinal axis and also vertical and lat eral swinging movement about the connection to the car, that my supporting device will permit the vertical and lateral movement of the coupler and will also permit a roll-over operation oi the car relative to the coupler. My device will also tend to maintain the coupler in a normal position with respect to the car under normal operation, and it will also tend to move the con pler 2 and maintain it in a central position when not coupled to an adjacent car. My invention also tends to normally support the ea e /1 coupler at a fixed height above the track pro-- riding the car body maintains a fixed relation with respect to the track, but permits the coupler to yield vertically as is required when cars pass over a break in the grade.

llIodific-ations will be apparent to those skilled in the art, but I do not wish to be limited other than by my claims.

I claim: I

l. A centering and supporting device com prising in combination, a transverse yoke member, spaced support members having means to rigidly secure them to a car body to prevent lateral movement of the yoke i iember, a member pivotally secured to each end of the yoke member and projecting in telescopic relation to one of the support members, a spring interposed between each pivotal member and its support member to permit the said n'iembers to yield vertically under stress and tending at all times to return the members to their normal position. a transverse member secured to the yoke membe and having a pair of spaced springs mounted thereon, a collar mounted on and secured to the transverse member intermediate its ends, and a pair of laterally and independently movable members mounted on the yoke member to support a coupler and each having depending means interposed between one of the springs and the collar and movable in a direction away from the collar when the coupler stresses either of the movable members away from the collar.

2. A centering and supporting device cinnprising in combination, a yoke member, spaced supports having means to rigidly secure them to a car body, a member pivotally secured to each end of the yoke member and projecting in telescopic relation to one of the supports, a spring interposed between each pivotal member and its support to permit the said parts to yield vertically under stress, but tending to maintain the parts in a predetermined relation, spring supporting means secured to the yoke member, a pair of independent coupler supports slidably mounted upon the yoke and having holding means to engage the spring supporting means to prevent the upward displacement, a pair of spaced springs mounted on the spring supporting means and engaging the holding means to move the coupler supports to the center of the yoke.

3. A centering and supporting device comprising in combination, a yoke member,

yielding means securing each end of the yoke member to a car body to prevent lateral movement of the yoke member relative to the car body and pivotally connected to the yoke member to allow each end of the yoke member to yield vertically independently a spring support mounted on the yoke member and a pair of springs mounted on the spring support, a pair of slidably mount ed members interlocked with therpring support and each men'iber engaging one of the springs and held central of the yoke member by the spring to maintain a coupler normally central of the yoke and means to prelent the springs from moving the slidably li ounted i'i'iembers beyond the center of the yoke.

4. The combination with a coupler sup port to be attached to a car body of a pair or". coupler seats adapted to move toward and away from each other and yielding means to normally hold the seats in adjacent relation, iach seat having; a horizontal and a vertical :t'ace connected. by an obliquely disposed "ace to correspond to and to receive therebetween a coupler shank having corresponding faces.

5. The combination with a coupler support to be attached to a car body of a pair of seat members adapted to move toward and away from each other and receive a coupler shank therebetween and yielding means to normally hold the seats in adjacent relation each seat having a vertical, face and a downwardly and inwardly inclined face ing a yoke member, a spring supporting member mounted on the yoke member, a pair of seat members movable relatively away from each other and mounted on the yoke member to support a coupler stem, horizontal overlapping portions on each seat to form a supporting surface for the coupler stem on each seat at all times and resilient means on the spring support to yieldingly maintain the seats in adjacent relation but permitting separation under stress.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CHARLES H. TOMLINSOV. 

